ARK CAMPS

The artworks imagine and illustrate new Scottish rural (feral) communities who are engaged in the construction of giant Ark structures from the debris of old boats and wooden structures which no one imagined would ever be used again. These Ark structures are not intended to be religious although the Ark story is referenced in almost every culture on the planet. These structures are to be seen as cypher for positive rebuilding and it might be imagined that the bus itself in some ways is an cultural ark which travels the byways of Scotland. The artwork for this project seeks to examine contemporary Scottish culture and its fractured relationship with the past through an exploration of identity which pulls together diverse strands and influences such as outsider artist Angus McPhee in the grass woven costumes worn by the workers in the encampments as well as fragments of highland fishing boats and architectural oddities. images © travelling gallery